Ethernet Storage Related Standards Activities

The Ethernet Storage Forum tracks Ethernet storage related standards activities to provide timely education and information as new advances approach productization.  The key standards bodies involved include:

• IETF: IP Storage Working Group - the Internet Engineering Task Force: Internet Protocol Storage Working Group, which is responsible for the iSCSI, iFCP and FCIP protocols
• IETF NFS Working Group - the Internet Engineering Task Force: Network File System Working Group, which is responsible for the NFS protocol
• IEEE 802.1 and IEEE 802.3 - the workgroups that develop standards for Ethernet networks
• T10.org - the INCITS Technical Committee which is responsible for SCSI Storage Interfaces
• T11.org - the INCITS Technical Committee which is responsible for the Fibre Channel transport Fibre Channel storage protocols (including FCoE)

Several industry associations have a formal or a semi-formal relationship with one or more of these technical committees, and focus on promotion of that specific technology.  For example, the Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA) promotes T11 technologies (including FCoE), and the Ethernet Alliance promotes IEEE 802.x technologies.  The Ethernet Storage Forum’s strategy to bring information on these technlogies into our outreach materials and educational initiatives is via strategic alliance agreements.

For more information about other SNIA related industry groups and alliances, please visit the SNIA webpage dedicated to alliances: